How STRONG was Hafthor Bjornsson Vs Brian Shaw?

[@StrengthUniverse]

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[@-Erebus]

All these salty Brian fans

[@joeljerez9188]

Except Martin Destroyed him in 2019

[@scottwarren4998]

why dont you ever do hafthor vs savickas comparison?

[@StrengthUniverse]

@@scottwarren4998 I skimpily haven’t got around to it. These videos take a long time to make

[@dirk143]

Big guys, both top contenders behind Wilt Chamberlain in talent.

[@setsumikokonoe4814]

I believe that Hafthor at his peak was the strongest man who's ever lived, the problem is that his peak didn't last for very long (2018 until retirement) which makes Brian more deserving of a title like "GOAT" due to sheer consistency.

[@Justin-jg2hi]

His peak essentially lasted a year and a half. Brian has made podium in 10 out of the last 14 WSM contests. Don’t get me wrong, Thor was unstoppable in his prime. But it was so short lived.

[@DataZahard]

Strongest man whoever lived is cap maybe in this era in time but humans where much more massive/taller long ago

[@mikerude5073]

I think part of that is due to basic physiology. These guys were basically maxing out their skeleton's ability to hold muscle and static strength, but for Hafthor that means being even heavier at his heaviest. Being above 450 has to be just brutal on your organs. Brian was close to that too, but when you're pushing the very limits of human physiology, 20 lbs. can make or break you. If we want to look at most consistent, then someone like Big Z beats both of them, but if Z was another 5 inches taller, he would have been heavier and probably had a shorter peak, but higher absolute strength due to the added potential bodyweight. Frankly, I'm impressed these guys are alive at all.

[@marcGOAT1]

@@mikerude5073 bruh brian is on steroids, don't act surprised on what he can do or how he looks

[@erikness4231]

@@marcGOAT1 Do you think anyone of them is natty? Sorry to break it to you.

[@mcfarvo]

HB's peak was higher, but BS's peak has been much longer; therefore, the area under the curve is greater for Shaw.

[@NSD-fp9qj]

BS is not a good look for Brian lmao

[@kooroshrostami27]

What matters most is legacy, and Brain Shaw has a better legacy. More wins at major competitions. The shows are a good measurement of how strong someone is all around, that's what strongman is about.

[@fatflexfilms9581]

@@kooroshrostami27 are we not going to to talk about Thor admitting to using performance enhancing drugs

[@tommygarrosh2941]

@@fatflexfilms9581 they all use drugs don't kid yourself

[@fatflexfilms9581]

@@tommygarrosh2941 got proof?

[@BlueStarNutraceuticals]

Regardless of who may have edged out who in this lift or that, both Hafthor and Brian have carved out impressive legacies in their strongman careers that will be an inspiration for younger generations for years to come 💪

[@StrengthUniverse]

I couldn't agree more

[@gouldbergvariations]

There is no comparison. Brian Shaw is a constant legend of strongman. He is a true legend of the sport. Cannot say the same for hapfthor

[@fatflexfilms9581]

@@gouldbergvariations it’s because Thor used roids he admitted it

[@gouldbergvariations]

@@fatflexfilms9581 ? Everyone uses steroids.

[@fatflexfilms9581]

@@Stej-i7m ray Williams doesn’t use Roids powerlifting is so much more strict

[@A-A-RonDavis2470]

Brian's peak weight was actually at 2017 WSM, he was officially 206 kg/454 lbs. As far as I know, I haven't seen a 210 kg weigh-in for Thor, I know he said he was 208 kg for the 501 kg deadlift. Thor had a torn right plantar fascia in 2019, not a broken foot. If injuries are a factor, Brian also had a hamstring injury in 2017 WSM.

[@Julian-mk7hd]

No thor was 206 kg at his 501 deadlift

[@goldilox811]

Peak weights are unknown for Brian, he never really divulged full info there. Hafthor was 460+ @ 501 deadlift

[@mark4lev]

The drug usage changed between 2010-2020. The guy narrating this video spotted it, peoples deadlifts exploded there were new records seemingly every week. I think Shaws hamstring(s?) were shot by then though, he was a fair bit older than Thor and couldn’t shake off some injuries. Shaws deadlift at the 2017 wsm was a defining moment, as he finished behind Thor and hall.

[@baconfromhell666]

@@goldilox811 Are you seriously using both kg and pounds as a measure of weight in the same sentence?

[@goldilox811]

@@baconfromhell666 yup

[@osirun6572]

Brian is a bit more accomplished as a strongman, but as far as absolute strength at their relative peaks Hafthor takes it. 2018/2019 Hafthor is possibly the most well rounded strongman ever, only matched by Big Z. If he hadn't retired I think he would have had at least 2 or 3 more years of winning everything.

[@fightingtalk6253]

A bit more…. What are you smoking there is no comparison he’s way more accomplished 4-1 massive difference

[@osirun6572]

@@fightingtalk6253 And Hafthor holds the strongman DL record, won ESM, WSM, ARNOLD'S (and WUS dubai?) in the same year. Won Arnold's not only 3 times, but 3 times in a row (only other guy whos done that is the literal GOAT). Brian definitely has more accolades but the difference isnt dramatic.

[@fightingtalk6253]

@@osirun6572 Wus only started at the end of Brian career he couldn’t do Europe’s strongest man and Brian won 4 titles vs big z Thor had to wait for them to both be old to sneak one title, Brian never chased records, he’s clearly the more accomplished 4 WSM to 1 both have 3 Arnold’s the others are not major titles

[@fightingtalk6253]

@@osirun6572 and go look at the difference on a Thomas inch dumbbell

[@moresizemoreguys9747]

@@fightingtalk6253 why use the thomas inch dumbbell to determine who is strongest lol? Would be better to look at a deadlift or a press

[@Proud2beIrish09]

Not sure why you counted the Timber Carry as a draw when Brian won based on previous results, but called the deadlift for Hafthor even though Brian dominated previous results

[@Nirsterkur]

You realize that Prime Brian has no chance against Prime Thor right?

[@ora6925]

Hafthor at his peak was a better deadlifter than Brian at his peak.

[@rogerlouie1]

@@Nirsterkur , that's a pretty cool nickname. "I am Brian Prime. Smell my strongman frumunda cheese."

[@Nirsterkur]

@@rogerlouie1 I didn't get you mate.

[@Asiansxsymbol]

@@Nirsterkur Has no chance but is a much more accomplished and winning Strongman champion. 😏

[@ben1ben2ben1]

Thor has the highest peak ever. No one can argue that. But Shaw has a better career and no one can argue that

[@billj4525]

Yeah, between those 2 and Eddie, it's not a simple answer. I have heard different people say each one of them at different times

[@Demane69]

Brian holds his strength and weight easier. I believe he's a more natural for strongman. This has led to his longevity and consistency (outside of injuries). Brian's weight doesn't fluctuate nearly as much between off-season and competition. Now for some real talk: drugs. Hafthor's dramatic size increase before competitions in later years reveals much. Brian has had more distractions due to running a variety of businesses and a close family with children, yet his weight didn't dramatically change (he in fact put great effort into losing weight, not gaining it). This tells me he didn't cycle into crazy levels of PED's that Hafthor did. Brian lived a more sustainable life I believe, and this reflects heavily on why Hafthor retired early (along with Eddie Hall). Brian is just a naturally larger man.

[@jozsefesze1256]

Idk what’s the point of bringing ped and other drugs in the conversation. All strongman use drugs. Same for every sport even e sports use drugs too to enhance their performance

[@jayclean5653]

Brian used a fuck ton of PEDs. Just like every high level strongman.

[@alistairwillock7266]

You are kidding yourself. What this is actually saying is that Hafthor takes _less_ drugs over any calendar year... because he cycles off more sharply out of competition. Whereas Brian stays on cycle more year-round. _Everyone_ at the top level of strongman is taking massive amounts of PEDs.

[@negativezero3107]

Oh Brian was a skinny reed, look at his head, shows ya all you need to know, Thor has pretty much looked the same.

[@marcGOAT1]

@@jozsefesze1256 the point is they're all steroid juice head turkeys🤡

[@shrekdank3473]

I think brian should have won the axle press although thors lift was heavier by 1kg brians form was much better and looks like he could have easily matched or beat thors lift

[@lilg1116]

Agree i dont think 1 kg should really be the factor of a win When talking about This much weight tbh

[@Dluger123]

Agreed and Brian’s at the time was a WR

[@ATomRileyA]

plus thor probably double dipped and cheated like he usually does.

[@StrengthUniverse]

@@lilg1116 By that measure more then half of BigZ's Axle Press and Log Press WR's wouldn't be counted

[@lilg1116]

@@StrengthUniverse I know but thats record status, if were talking about strenght then i dont think 1 kg more should be a win to the opposite side, a draw whould be more fair, also taking into considerasion that Brian pressed it cleaner, no hate btw love your Chanel Watch your videos every singel day 👍

[@lmc5955]

Over time Brian was much stronger, however at a single point in time I believe Thor was the strongest ever man

[@kibskibs498]

Perfect analysis. Thor had the higher peak, but Shaw’s peak was longer.

[@carltonmensah349]

Height makes a huge difference in everything

[@Justin-jg2hi]

I would only argue one thing. Eddie in 2017 was arguably the strongest person ever.

[@jayclean5653]

@@carltonmensah349 Thor is 1 inch taller.

[@jayclean5653]

@@Justin-jg2hi Nah

[@akaakaakaak5779]

Peak Thor (2018-2020) was the strongest a human being has ever been imo but Brian is the more legendary strongman

[@mikemarino7806]

I think Brian takes the W here. I know that titles aren't everything, but his longevity, amount of WSM titles, and the competitors he squared off against (Marius, Big Z) were ultimately more challenging and difficult than Thor's competitors in his prime. The longevity factor here is a big influence in my opinion, admittedly

[@DutchDread]

I don't factor than in at all actually, I want to know who was strongest at their peak, not on average.

[@xaviermoya8356]

@@DutchDread but you need to consider that shaw never trained for a specific record such as deadlift, he trained to win the most important competitions

[@meginna8354]

@@xaviermoya8356 Thor also never trained only for one specific record, he trained all the evens for a show, only exception being when WUS Bahrain got cancelled and he did 500kg deadlift. Thor was stronger, end of story.

[@anasabura3037]

@@meginna8354Thor is stronger in deadlift but Brian has a better career 4 wsm

[@meginna8354]

@@anasabura3037 dumb, comment, Brian has a (debatably)better career because he started earlier and Thor was catching up. But Thor surpassed him and became better than Brian ever could

[@tuahahussain9176]

2018-2020 Thor was pretty much the strongest strongman we've ever seen. Overall career accomplishments, Brian wins all day, most podium finishes at both Arnold's and WSM and multiple world records. Arguably the GOAT behind Big Z.

[@danielneil6276]

So why did he not break lots of world records in that time? Surely he would have taken the axle and log press world records if he was so strong at that point?

[@Julian-mk7hd]

@@danielneil6276 He isn't the best oresser with his long arms.

[@tuahahussain9176]

@@danielneil6276 if he focused on it..he could've...he wasn't far off anyways. Only 10kg off axle and 15kg off log lift. But he only wanted the deadlift I guess.

[@danielneil6276]

@@tuahahussain9176 he did focus on it. He was training for the log lift world championships. His shoulder strength was never the best. So he cannot be considered the strongest man of all time.

[@danielneil6276]

@@Julian-mk7hd OK so how can he be considered the strongest ever if he wasn't a good presser?

[@LC-ix6hb]

Brian is definitely the goat. He may have not made as many records but he was consistently the strongest, and this allowed him to win so many titles. If he had trained for one event like Thor and Eddie nobody would have beaten him.

[@TheVanillatech]

What? Thor trained for DL max while ALSO winning every event at Arnolds vs Shaw....

[@Luis150697]

If you talking bout consistency Big Z is the real goat

[@AbirZenith]

Peak - Bjornsson Consistency - Brian Shaw . Simple as that

[@jp3611]

Regarding who was the "better" strongman, I think that comes down to opinion. Results speak for themselves and at WSM that's a clear win for Brian, but also Brian is always very humble, respectful, and presents the sport in a very positive way. He also does a lot to champion the sport itself, and after retirement I'm sure he's going to continue to grow the sport in a very positive way.

[@asura8495]

shaw classics every year

[@dobbins2550]

IMO, it's not about opinion. Shaw has 4 WSM Titles. Thor has 1. Shaw has 3 Arnold Titles. Thor also has 3. Shaw has the record for podium finishes in WSM. Shaw is the 2nd best behind Big Z.

[@J.c410]

Haftor finished ahead of Brian most tile than the opposite at WSM while being a new comer

[@gabbeskillz6262]

@@dobbins2550 the number of titles you have isn't reflective of your strength seeing that Thor retired at 31.

[@Asiansxsymbol]

Brian is a very wholesome person, unlike Thor and Eddie. Did you know that Brian has never cussed before (that's what he said)? 🙀

[@alexriofrio5754]

Your results are a little skewed. You tied them for timber carry because of all the results tied but for the other results even if they won the majority you still gave it to the person with the best single attempt regardless of overall wins. You should be more consistent in your judging criteria. If your just going to take the best score do just that. If your going to take most winning attempts then just do that. Or do both in separate charts. But inconsistencies like that make lists discredited.

[@StrengthUniverse]

It's impossible to base the result of the Timber Carry off a single year because the weight of the implement changes (400 to 500kg) as do the rules about straps. Brians best ever time is 10.03s with a 400kg (882lbs) Frame. Hafthors best time was 10.15s but this was with a 500kg frame. They're result in this event over 6 years of competition is 3 wins each it it's far less "bias" to baser the result off of 6 years of results then a single competition

[@goldilox811]

My life would be very dull without strength sports. Thanks for your the unique content

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thanks Alex

[@tonybleau6219]

These guys are the reason our ancestors created pointy objects.

[@StrengthUniverse]

😂

[@anton6795]

I think one factor that didn't come to count is that Brian had his peak before Thor, meaning when Brian broke world records at the time he was also breaking grounds for Thor. When you see someone else do something that's never been done before it gets much more real and by pushing the boundaries the next top guy has something to aim for.

[@kevinthomes1046]

The only way to compare is in the same competitions against each other. Brian won most deadlift competitions against Thor. Thor has a higher peak. Important point is that Brian never took the time to just train for single max deadlift. Brian was concerned with the sport of Strongman not doing single lifts. That being said even in an event you don't always get max performance but just enough to win or place in an event. They need to conserve energy. Using your squat comparison. Brian won by one rep. That is all he needed to win by. Could he have had one more rep or two or three. Maybe but there was not a need to try. The goal is to win the competition and there is a strategy involved.

[@TheVanillatech]

But Thor holds the world record. So that's not even worth bringing up. And while Thor was training his DL, he was also winning the other 5 events at Arnolds over Shaw at the same time. Right?

[@okstate999]

@@TheVanillatech Eddie has the world record since it was done at an official event, not at his own house lol. Shaw was a lot older than Hafthor at that time. Which one has 4 WSM titles and which one has 1? Hafthor has participated like 10 times in the 2010s and only won once.

[@TheVanillatech]

@@okstate999 Actually Thor has the OFFICIAL world record ... according to EVERYONE apart from Eddie and Giants Live. Oh and Eddies fans! But of course, Eddie and Giants Live and Eddies fans are NOT the official voice of world records, are they? And sure, Brian has 4 (should have been 5 but he messed up one time which cost him a 5th title). And Thor has 1, but it should be 3 because he was ROBBED in 2017 by Eddie and WSM and he threw away another by celebrating half way through a keg toss instead of finishing the event faster - which ultimately cost him 4 places and the overall win. Go figure. But theres no question that Thor is stronger than Shaw. Everyone knows that. It's obvious. Just look at the statistics, right?

[@P_Mann]

It’s important to consider when looking at many events, the relative positions of the competitors in the sequence. In many cases, competitors will stop at the number of reps it takes to win the event (or score enough points for the overall), not their maximum possible. If competitor A hits 6 reps, competitor B may only hit 7 to secure the win even if they could hit 12-15 with a best effort-this is especially true if B wants to perform better in a later event or not risk an injury. Except for the few who focus on single events, strongman is as much a strategic points game as it is about the strength feats themselves.

[@Dluger123]

Thor had two good years, Brian had over 10. Thor retired as his body couldn’t take the abuse it was getting, I’d put that down to an increase in PED’s. Hence why his max deadlift jumped up so much on one year.

[@JPqbss]

Thor’s two good years were better than any one of Brian’s 10.

[@chump8035]

They are all on INCREASED peds, trust me. There is NO ONE at a strongman event the level that they are competing, without using out of body substances.

[@brandonhoover2120]

Thor retired to go after a different sport. He was tired of the politics. And it is healthier, he wasn’t at Eddie hall near death level of health forcing him to retire.

[@Dluger123]

@@JPqbss behave 4WSM beating Thor and big Z

[@Dluger123]

@@brandonhoover2120 in his retirement video he said it was for his health, you can only pump yourself full of PED’s for so long

[@user-vj9qz3br6l]

The thing about BS is that he is very strategic when it comes to contests. Often times he wouldn’t go all out on single events unless he had to-He did this just save energy for other events.

[@StrengthUniverse]

Definitely, he is probably the most professional, professional Strongman ever

[@BruceWayne-ri4wr]

@@StrengthUniverse Brian Shaw is not somebody that cares about Max lifts he does what he needs to do to win if he had to do a Max lift he would train for that and I'm willing to say he would beat half for almost every time he doesn't train for one rep he trains to win the competition so it's misleading to say that half Thor beats him on the maximum lifts because that's not what Bryan trains for he trains to win the competition Brian literally sometimes stops when you could clearly tell he had more reps in him and more heavier weight to do in him he stops because he did enough to win so it's not fair to judge him on some of those Max lips where he had a lot more in him

[@taipoxin]

@@BruceWayne-ri4wr Yep. Brian knew when to conserve his energy and did so purposefully. That's just part of Strongman because you have a variety of contests pushing your body in different ways so knowing which one's are your strengths, weaknesses or somewhere in between and playing into that intelligently is what gives the W. It's not all about pure strength of the body, but the mind as well.

[@justinfletcher7630]

Brian was so much more consistent for such a long period from 2010 all the way to 2017 either winning or making podium every time

[@ChristopherSalisburySalz]

Two of my all time favorite strongmen!!! How can you not like these two giants!! Both are super tall, super wide, and super strong.

[@WDBRacing]

I wish your channel would blow up and get the recognition you deserve already.

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thanks Adam

[@josephsong6501]

Two monsters are very strong. Happy New Year.

[@necromancer0616]

Hathor bailed out of Strongman early to retire. Brian is STILL competing showing he has much more drive and endurance as well as determination. I think over-all Hathor's height and weight was a contributing factor allowing him to have a tad bit more advantage than Brian but like I said Brian is allot more driven making him the 4 time WSM Champ thus the better athlete.

[@TheJoker-yz8dv]

Hafthor and Brian are the same height and weight pretty much

[@TheVanillatech]

He didn't bail out. He was robbed of his rightful win in 2017 by Bryce and Hall. You can clearly see his attitude change in 2018 contests. If it hadn't been for the sports obvious corruption, and the subsequent acceptance of Hall for the boxing match (for that six figure sum), Thor could have easily carried on dominating Arnolds and probably taken some WSM wins too. He chose not to. Height and weight also have NOTHING to do an "advantage" over Shaw! Brian was heavier and is just ONE INCH shorter, in all the times Thor won at Arnolds! You're reaching! It's very close, the greatest rivalry in Strongman so far! But Thor clearly wins!

[@Bullboy_Adventures]

Hush fanboy

[@raiden3013]

"robbed" except every other strongman thinks thor was being a bay and that Eddie won fair and square. @@TheVanillatech

[@TheVanillatech]

@@raiden3013 1. You clearly don't follow the sport if you think EVERY other strongman wasn't aware of the corruption happening. Stoltman actually TALKED ALL ABOUT IT in a secret recording. 2. It's childish and stupid to even presume to know what 100+ other athletes all think about a subject. 3. The powers that be seem to think otherwise, hence why Colin was forced to step down from his role in WSM and cited "Thors Lawyers" AS THE REASON. All the best.

[@mike-cuhljoegan3431]

This definitely needs a part 2. Love your vids

[@StrengthUniverse]

Part 2 coming matey, will be focused on their best gym lifts.

[@cristiangamboa2037]

Brian Is my favorite strongman of all time, but I Belive Thor retired being stronger than Brian. Besides I think Thor was just reaching his acctual prime.

[@Nirsterkur]

Truth coming from a Brian fan! Respect to you buddy!

[@quelandil5738]

Would have been interesting to see them competing both in their prime. Brian had some "weaker" years 2017-2020 during which time Thor was completely peaked,

[@Nirsterkur]

@@quelandil5738 I have analytically observed Brian since 2009 to-date and in none of those years he was Strong as 'Prime Thor'. Not even Zydrunus.

[@ZenithAngel]

So Timber Carry is draw and 18 inch deadlift is a win for Thor . I mean at least stay logical . The bias is clear

[@StrengthUniverse]

Try watching and listening to everything rather then the bit you feel like because I clearly explain why it was a draw: It's impossible to base the result of the Timber Carry off a single year because the weight of the implement changes (400 to 500kg) as do the rules about straps. Brians best ever time is 10.03s with a 400kg (882lbs) Frame. Hafthors best time was 10.15s but this was with a 500kg frame. They're result in this event over 6 years of competition is 3 wins each it it's far less "bias" to baser the result off of 6 years of results then a single competition

[@justaguyfromreddit]

Hope to see Brian Shaw in armwrestling after his strongman career

[@Bexar2204]

Love how extensive these vids are.

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thanks mate, I try to provide as much detail as possible within the time constraints I have

[@richardbritain7435]

Brian doesn't have lots of tattoos. That easily puts him ahead for me.

[@anthonyproffitt5341]

It would have been cool to see them battle for a decade both at their peak. Thor was just entering his peak years as Brian was ending his.

[@shepchester3567]

First off, many thanks for the name check re the suggestion. And for a very detailed and thorough comparison, its great having so much genuine head to head data to use. Ive genuinely been looking forward to this one! Your conclusions fit my suspicion, that although overall its close, Hafthor dose have the edge statically, so could be argued is the 'stronger'. But I guess its only fair to point out the several year age difference, that feasibly could mean if at the same age, it may have pushed Brian to higher PB's, a bit like Thor and Eddie? Obviously that's purely hypothetical, but what I do know, it was a pleasure witnessing two absolute behemoth's, who are defiantly amongst the strongest men to ever walk the Earth, directly competing so many times. I wonder how long it will be before we see something similar?

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thanks for the suggestion Shep and your fair and balance comment. I pretty much agree with what you have stated. I although he doesn't have Hafthors Static strength, I think Tom Stoltmans a good replacement he just need another top competitior who's 203cm+

[@shepchester3567]

@@StrengthUniverse Great shout re Tom, hopefully another giant will emerge during his peak years? PS I wonder if Tom is capable of a static strength leap, similar to what Thor achieved? That would be something to behold if he did!

[@mcdelive]

GOAT - Of couse Mariusz Pudzianowski Strongest Peak - HafThor Bjornsson 💪

[@dobbins2550]

You showed a little bias in favor of Thor. Brian has 4 WSM Titles. Thor has 1. Bryan has the record for podium finishes in WSM. Thor does not. You gave them a draw on the log carry when Brian actually beat Thor. Some of your word choices was also biased, a bit, in favor of Thor. The only man better than Brian is Big Z. Thor is stronger on the deadlift. You left out Brian's best event, keg toss. He has the record. Pretty good video.

[@franksluss6009]

Atlas stones

[@joebot9309]

Thor has 10 major titles, Brian has 7

[@astmedia666]

Brian is tied for most podium finishes with big z so you are wrong there.

[@gabbeskillz6262]

How many of those WSM wins were against a prime 2018-2020 Thor?

[@Asiansxsymbol]

Brian is simply a more accomplished and winning champion than Thor.

[@-Erebus]

Great video

[@danielcobia7818]

I think it's noteworthy that Brian tore his hamstring at the 2019 Arnold Classic. I'm sure he was strong enough to have pulled the weight (1,051 lbs) Which would have forced Hafthor to actually pull the 500 Kg that was up next for him. Both are incredible strongmen IMO.

[@meginna8354]

Yes, he tore it because he was trying to keep up with Thor who had surpassed him in deadlift, going for weights everyone knew were too heavy for him. His deadlift peaked around 460-465

[@danielcobia7818]

@@meginna8354 You know, that's the whole point of competing, is to push yourself to your utter limites. Of course, Brian had lifted pretty close to that in practice, also, if you actually watched the competition you'd see that he was well on his way to lifting the weight. The strength was there, he just hurt himself attempting to lift it. Your comment smacks of "Thor better, Bran sucks."

[@meginna8354]

@@danielcobia7818 I'm assuming you know nothing about lifting, he was never remotely close to lifting that and his deadlift was never at that level.

[@danielcobia7818]

@@meginna8354 You're quite the internet keyboard warrior. On Nov 2 2020 (AFTER the lift in question) Brian lifted 1,091 lbs in practice. Granted it was elevated a bit but he DID do it. Starting below his knees. Hence why he could have totally lifted the 1,051 lbs at the Arnold if he hadn't had something tear attempting the pull. No matter what you think, Brian is one of the greatest in the strongman world. Also, personal attacks make your argument weaker, not stronger.

[@meginna8354]

@@danielcobia7818 You won't like the bluntness but you're clueless on strongman. What brian did in training was a raised deadlift, a different exercise to normal deadlift and guys get different numbers on them, Brians deadlift was peaked at 460 for years and he wasn't increasing past it. How he failed the deadlift at the Arnold is exactly how people fail something too heavy, off the go it was not moving, no speed, it raised a bit at a snails pace for a second but once all the plates were off the ground it was slammed down, if you knew anything you'd know there was no way he was ever getting that.

[@andretoivonen9737]

no matter what, they are both great guys who has already gone down in history as the strongest men who ever walked the earth

[@DarrinHouse-ic3eo]

It was awesome watching them compete! But all 4 of Brian’s WSM titles, Thor was nipping at his heels. It’s miss leading looking at PR’s in contests because you’re doing enough to win not necessarily break records. Both are great strongmen, but Brian is arguably one of the goats of the sport.

[@StrengthUniverse]

Brian is definitely one of the Greatest ever, possibly only second to Big Z

[@Nirsterkur]

Brian is one of the Strongest men to ever live (4th Strongest in my opinion) and one of the most accomplished Strongmen in modern history perhaps only Seconded to Zydrunus: the GOAT of Strongman, but when it comes to 'Brute Strength', he has no chance against the Strongest Man who ever walked the Earth. Prime v. prime is the real deal and Brian doesn't hold a candle against Hafthor whose Static Strength, Functional Strength, Speed and Endurance combo in my opinion is the Peak human performance when it comes to 'Strength'. And I personally believe he retired before reaching his true prime which would have been around 32 - 35. Anyway that's my opinion. And here's a couple of things I never knew until now: 8:45 affirming that Brian's WSM track record against Thor is indeed overrated and 9:18 affirming Hafthor's dominance factor. Here are prime v. prime 1RM PRs: Deadlift, Squat, Bench and Log: Brian: 468, 410, 247, 211 = 1,336 Hafthor: 501, 460, 250, 213 = 1,424 For Americans: Brian: 1031, 904, 545, 465 = 2,945 Hafthor: 1105, 1014, 551, 470 = 3,140

[@mighty1654]

you are basing findings on thor doing a power lifting contest, brain has never trained to do one, so who knows what his true final squat and deadlift , bench..were, and your bench is seriously off, brian on his you tube when training for bench has him doing 545 for 5 reps, his true bench is probably near 600... he is also on a bardley martyn video benching 500 for 5 with more in the tank, and he says, i never train bench, this is my first time in ages trying, and still done 500 for 5.....although i think thor still wins a total score. it is much more closer than you think,, to say he has no chance when his lifts are close is not accurate. if the numbers were much further apart i would agree. but they are not....either way eddie hall is stronger than both

[@Nirsterkur]

@@mighty1654 If there's any footage of Brian Benching more than 247kg please let me know because I searched a lot before coming to the conclusion. I'm talking about real numbers. No speculations. We can also say Hafthor could have done better as well but the numbers are numbers and they speak for themselves. Then why didn't Brian tried Powerlifting atleast once? Even though he tried or not, or even during training, Brian has not outlifted Thor in any of those Static lifts as far as I researched. Eddie is Stronger than Brian true, but not Hafthor or Zydrunus. Deadlift, Squat, Bench and Log: Zydrunus: 453, 452, 286, 228 = 1,419 Brian: 468, 410, 247, 211 = 1,336 Eddie: 500, 405, 300, 213 = 1,418 Hafthor: 501, 460, 250, 213 = 1,424 For Americans: Zydrunus: 999, 996, 631, 503 = 3,129 Brian: 1031, 904, 545, 465 = 2,945 Eddie: 1102, 893, 661, 470 = 3,126 Hafthor: 1105, 1014, 551, 470 = 3,140

[@curvinh6289]

@@Nirsterkur Eddie's squat on a 1 rep max would be much higher. giving the overall win . But halfthor no doubt is a more complete strongman

[@Nirsterkur]

@@curvinh6289 I respect your opinion, but we all can speculate. Zydrunus could have Deadlifted more, Brian could have Benched more, Eddie could have Squatted more. But Hafthor ALSO could have done more. Also, some people are good at repping. Some at 1 rep max. You decide what determines STRENGTH more. Also, some good reppers might not do well on 1 rep max or maybe they physically can't, who knows? That's perhaps why they never tried. Anyway, speculations aside, I'm bringing numbers (actual lifts) to the equation... 😉 But the rivalries aside, those 4 are the 4 Strongest Men who ever lived.

[@curvinh6289]

@@Nirsterkur lol yea I agree with all your numbers .I'm a huge halfthor fan. and if I'm honest I actually kinda hate eddie but the squat you posted is a embarrassment to eddie the weight you posted as his max he could have done for 5 to 8 reps ! 1 rep max I would say eddie could have done atleast thors 1 rep max if not a touch more ! The 2017 wsm finals squat lift makes it obvious that Eddie's max squat is 1000 plus

[@1vootman]

Thor at his best, was better than Brian at his best. I think Thor between the years of18' through 20' was the greatest SM yet.

[@TKing-ql8vn]

HB all the way 👍

[@tonys4039]

It should also be noted that the competitions using different years that Shaw is known to reserve strength and play the points, so purposely took lower numbers to avoid injury and stay consistent top 3 in all events

[@jsaestheticsandbodybuilding]

video tip: Jeff bezos vs bill gains

[@Thulgore]

Strongman will always have the problem of the wondering of what if Hafthor had kept going.

[@StrengthUniverse]

I agree, he should have stayed in it for an couple of years

[@VanillaDin0saur]

1. Thor won a wsm, Brian has won 4. 2. Thor whined after not being given an additional bad rep after being given 4 bad reps. Brian doesn't whine when his bad reps aren't counted. 3. Brian doesn't set records in his home gym, Thor does. Thor is trash, imagine the look of shock in his fanboys face when he gets his ass handed to him by Eddie.

[@jayclean5653]

🤡

[@VanillaDin0saur]

@@jayclean5653 didn't watch the fight eh? There were literally only 5 punches thrown horrible show.

[@jayclean5653]

@@VanillaDin0saur By you saying that, you've basically told the world you didn't watch it lmao. Gtfoh.

[@VanillaDin0saur]

@@jayclean5653 hun I don't consider jabs for points punches. Not one of them could have hurt anyone.

[@jayclean5653]

@@VanillaDin0saur You dont count the most important punch in boxing? You have no idea what you're talking about

[@britonmckinney5713]

We can all see the clear bias towards Thor here right?

[@StrengthUniverse]

Please share details of this bias

[@joesalinas5686]

My respects to both of these beast, this is an impressive strength! Wow!

[@anindohowlader8377]

Brian max was in gym 211 kg

[@StrengthUniverse]

Every lift in the video was from competitions, not gym lifts

[@pratapsinhpabale879]

Next video suggestion Yuri belkin vs Kevin oak vs dan green

[@aaronbarlow4376]

Thor has never been great at frame carry events but will win every deadlift and keg toss event.

[@Asiansxsymbol]

I don't mean to sound like a Larry Wheels fanboi, but after watching this, especially the log press, I'm even more impressed with him. Brian trained log-press for many years and his max was 200kg (and the fact he's so much bigger than Larry); while Larry trained it for a few weeks for the first time in his life, and he achieved 209kg (tied with Thor at the same log-press competition), and he's much smaller than those 2 men. 🙀

[@ATomRileyA]

Big difference is Brian's was done in WSM and would have to do it alongside all the other events, Brian was always a tactical lifter and would not just kill himself trying to break a record if it meant losing the competition so not his max i would guess. Nothing against larry as 209kg log lift is really impressive but it was in a log only lift competition.

[@StrengthUniverse]

Larry's best was 202.5

[@abhinavkumar547]

Hii buddy u did a great comparison of both these athletes as a overall strongman competitor. Now kindly do one on both of these guy's best ever static strength in compound lifts in the gym and competition as u promised to do.

[@WWE-LiveClips]

It crazy to think that Larry pressed more than brian on his log lift on his first year

[@StrengthUniverse]

It is Larry's a freak of nature

[@jasonito23]

This is a good comparison. However, it's hard to compare Strongman contests since the events change and every year the weight increases. I mean, the opening deadlifts now are 400 kgs etc. which was unheard of 6 or 7 years ago.

[@nickcompton5981]

100% Brian shaws the better strong man. He's got more titles/ experience hes got way better sportsmanship Brian's competed many times injured or just coming off an injury, but then again just about evey true strongman can say the same. But Brian's been very consistent over his long career. Now with that said Thor is definitely up there in the all time greats he was insanely strong and very well rounded..

[@abdullahyusof4739]

If you watch their various WSM battles over the years, Brian and Hafthor have actually been very evenly matched on a lot of different events (stones, vehicle pulls, keg toss, yokes). Heck, Hafthor has even beaten Brian on those events on multiple occasions pre-2018 so if anything, Hafthor's only real weakness up until 2017 was his deadlift. What's different about these two isn't their actual strength but rather how they approached competitions. Hafthor has always been someone who always went full blast on every single event which sometimes caused him to make mistakes, wasting time and costing him energy. Take the kettlebell toss at WSM 2016, Hafthor was blitzing through those kettlebells but stumbled on the fifth and sixth trying to go as fast as he could, losing precious seconds because he didn't think things through. Enter Brian who now has the luxury of taking his time on those kettlebells because Hafthor fucked up majorly trying to go for the event win. Brian had always taken a more thoughtful and calculative approach to competitions which has allowed him to narrowly edge out Hafthor's recklessness over the years. However, his overthinking and being too careful has also cost him more than a few vital points where he could have placed higher had he just gone all out. Once Hafthor had patched up the last of his deadlift weaknesses and knew when to go all out and when to conserve energy was when he became pretty much untouchable. IMO, Brian had two major flaws: 1) After 2016, his deadlift strength did not significantly improve. He was still a consistent 460+kg puller, but he never aimed to go higher (either he got complacent or due to hamstring injuries). This would come back to bite him in 2018 when Hafthor progressed his deadlift to be the best in the world. 2) Brian sacrificed too much of his athleticism and speed for absolute strength. Hafthor competed more year-round than Brian in shows like Giants Live and Europe's and those shows often incorporated speed events like loading and medleys. This allowed him to still retain his brute strength and explosiveness but never lost his agility, speed or endurance in the process. In effect, he was a more well-rounded strength athlete compared to Brian

[@coffeetalk924]

These guys are like twins in so many ways

[@PatrickMrSmith]

Fantastic video. Just what I wanted to see! 👍 👍

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thanks 👍

[@TmB799]

Really injoyed this break down of these to power houses even thow thor got the most wins big bri is a 4 times strongman really wud like him to make it 5 but can't see it now but wat a strongmen thors coming bk so he cud win another worlds strongest man...but course il b bk the u.k.strongmen..look way a beast tom stoltman is now 2 times bk to bk an only 29 really think he can win more..the strongmen is just getting bigger and bigger can't wait to see in the future...bigup strength universe for doing these comparisons..bigup from bidzy westmids gypsies 👊🙏👍💯

[@rolfpettersen877]

Comparing the squats in 2017 wasn't a good example since hafthor tore his left quad muscle just before the wsm competition

[@StrengthUniverse]

As I mentioned in the video

[@djordjedangubic7270]

Very nice video, can you please do Larry Wheels vs Oleksii Novikov who is stronger pound to pound.

[@talhaqureshi2394]

At their peaks, thor was stronger and possibly the strongest man in modern history. The unfortunate part is he was challenged for boxing match and he started losing weight for that match and ultimately lost his strength too.

[@devour06]

Is it just me or did Brian squat and Thor more like bounce it?

[@ATomRileyA]

double dipping is thors way :) , thor would always find every way to cheat. I remember he also did things like get some of Brian's reps removed cause he threw a bitch fit and got the judge to remove them even though thor was always doing things like his double dipping. thor is a real piece of shit. They were always lax on thor cause he was in GOT and was bringing in so much money for WSM they let him slide on many things over the years.

[@gabbeskillz6262]

@@ATomRileyA hi Eddie!

[@TheJoker-yz8dv]

@@ATomRileyA Lol, how was that cheating? And by the way, Thor didn't throw a "bitch fit". It was Thor's coach who complained at WSM 2018, not Thor. Funny how you ignore that Shaw actually tried to get Thor disqualified at WSM 2012 after Thor beat him.

[@sillyness3456]

I think, Thor had the more extreme mentality. Also the more extreme transformation from basketball to strongman. He went from 100kg to around 200kg in two years. Brian started at over 130kg and went to 200kg in five years. I honestly prefer Brian and his methodical approach, but Thors achievements in the sport are nothing short of incredible.

[@austinrousee6729]

I think of it in the same way I think about any other sport. Max and PB are amazing accomplishments that often go down in history. However an amazing performance in a single event, doesn’t necessarily mean much in the competition. You can win the battle yet lose the war. Same goes with have an amazing year, what you did last year doesn’t hold water to next. It’s who can put up wins consistently year after year

[@mconcepcion752]

They were very similar in height and weight. I think Brian carried more of his weight in his arms and upper body, while Hafthor looked more lower body dominant.

[@HighTech72886]

Brian Shaw, overall, is the winner in my book. Even his presence when not competing is top tier. The guy is so humble.

[@tonybleau6219]

It's like Tiger vs Nicklaus. Peak Halfthor is like Tiger Woods and Brian is like Nicklaus with the longevity. Unbelievable, the stuff of Titans 💪

[@mattgualtieri3254]

You narration was so unbiased!! 😆 🤣. Just like thor. Every time he lost, it was because thor was injured, or even tho Brian won one of the over head press movements, " even though Brian won, thor was stronger at overhead pressing.

[@Anthony-forever-mma]

Halfthor is stronger overall 🤣

[@ConnoisseurOfExistence]

Great comparison! I never knew that it has been a 710 kg yoke!

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thanks Nikolay

[@andrewbarbarash3116]

No one peaked like the Mountain. Brian has the bigger legacy based on consistency/history but Thor peaked higher than anyone has ever done in his prime. Now he's back doing Strongman he could dominate? He's still got a few good years left in him.

[@Justin-jg2hi]

I’d say the axel press was a tie. Brian had way more control at 2 pounds less. That control is everything

[@meginna8354]

Look at the axle press at the Arnold 2019(i think), Thor became stronger than Brian at the axle.

[@adnanrawashdeh3965]

The last competing version of Hafthor is scary and the way Brian declined in his later years says it all Although i still think Brian is more the achieving strongman athlete

[@StrengthUniverse]

Hey Buddy, absolutely! Brian was very selective about the comps that he did

[@lonestar2495]

Thor will be forever hard for to judge as he retired in his peak and we will never know how dominant he could have been

[@ATomRileyA]

nah he retired in his decline he came 3rd in his last WSM he knew his body could not take it, he knew he was done. his one win was the best he was ever going to do and to be fair if Eddie had not retired i don't think thor would have won ever.

[@thorthewolf8801]

@@ATomRileyA he was injured. Its a miracle he finished on the podium with an injury

[@lonestar2495]

@@ATomRileyA he did not retire in a decline 😂 he was only getting better and I doubt Eddie would have ever won a 2nd WSM

[@jayclean5653]

@@ATomRileyA He had a complete tear of his Plantar fascia in the heats. The fact that he finished on the podium with that is more impressive than him winning the title the year before and might be one of the most impressive strongman feats I've ever seen.

[@Brandon-qd2lb]

Ugh just wish we could've seen peak hafthor in this great battle of strongman's we have now!! 2019 wsm was the only time we saw him and Tom in the final

[@douglasnisbet1189]

When it comes to static lifts, Thor was definitely stronger.

[@brandonhoover2120]

I think a lot of that could be due to Brian wanted that legendary status so did everything he could to be well versed, rather then focusing on the more static lifts. Brian did also hold the deadlift world record at one point.

[@douglasnisbet1189]

@@brandonhoover2120 didn't Thor basically do the same? With the exception of April/May 2020, Thor's focus was always on being a well rounded strongman and winning titles.

[@miskee11]

btw Brian pressed a 211 kg log in training.

[@Van1018s]

If Thor would have continued to focus strictly on the strongman for 10 more years he would have set every record on every lift. He was an absolute genetic freak. Very sad to see him go. Some stupid boxing match with Eddie Hall. Which won’t even be a competition if it ever happens. I guess moneys what it’s all about. That being said it is very nice to see Thor healthy now. He obviously was not healthy when he weighed 430 pounds. No disrespect to Brian at all. Obviously top three strong men of all time.

[@AkWar9]

1. Longevity. 2. Quality of competition faced. 3. And who looks more comfortable. 4. Rules around drug use. Brian never trained for an individual lift to break a record. He could’ve comfortable taken the deadlift record. Brain takes the W by a mile.

[@topdoge2632]

Rules around drug use. Lmfao😂😂😂 Yeah, could've, would've. He didn't.

[@sagebias2251]

The two are basically twins

[@StrengthUniverse]

Agreed mate

[@imagiman]

The hardest part about Brian is he almost never goes all out on a single event.

[@starcenter323]

Static strength wise, Thor is stronger, but can you explain your logic on calling the timber carry a tie and not a win for Brian? You say it is because they are even in wins, but then the very next event on the elephant bar Brian has more wins, but not the highest overall and you give the win th Thor. It just comes accross as an instant contradiction to me.

[@StrengthUniverse]

Unlike the other events I was unable to compare one athletes best ever time to the others because the weight of the Timber carry changes (400 to 500kg) as do the rules about the use straps. Brians best ever time is 10.03s with a 400kg (882lbs) Frame. Hafthors best time was a very slightly slower 10.15s but this was with a 500kg frame. Therefore I felt the best way to show a fair result was to baser the results off of the 6 years in which they have competed in the event. If you watch all the other videos you will see that I based the results off they're best Historic performances to try to account for the athletes peaking at different times but due to the variations explained above this wasn't possible for the timber carry.

[@TrenbologneSandwich]

4 WSM titles and still a podium competitor shows that it's obvious Brian was the more dominant competitor. A lot of the time Brian will underperform on purpose just doing enough to get to the final and saving his strength and energy for that. If Brian only needs to come second, he's going to cone second on purpose

[@happy_l2usher783]

Yeah this was a bit biased in some areas. 😂

[@timholland5649]

4 vs 1 wsm sort of tells it all

[@powerviking]

Brian's grip strength is also crazy, I imagine he would beat Thor in that area.

[@meginna8354]

Prime Thor beat everyone at grip events including Brian

[@bnutz9050]

​​​@@meginna8354no he doesn't. That's his biggest problem. Brian and Mark Felix might have the best grip in the world

[@brandonhoover2120]

I don’t understand how there’s all this hoopla about Thor but he won just one, Brian winning 4 is legendary status.

[@gabbeskillz6262]

Because as far as numbers go, Thor's much stronger.

[@ATomRileyA]

@@gabbeskillz6262 please thor had to cheat and double dip to win, hes a one time WSM winner which he was lucky to win.

[@gabbeskillz6262]

@@ATomRileyA tf are you talking about? Double dipping is an incredibly easy mistake to make. Big Z himself double dipped at the 2017 WSM final yet I don't see anyone angry at him for trying to 'cheat'. Also, Thor's 1 WSM doesn't reflect on the fact that he's won 5 ESMs and 3 ASCs, as well as 1 WUS. Please shut up and learn your facts buddy.

[@paulcarey2482]

Brian’s the better strongman and a better sport

[@drewcasper4608]

No atlas stone?? I feel like that was very over looked

[@justaguyfromreddit]

Nor keg toss

[@joebot9309]

Thor wins this easily

[@drewcasper4608]

@@joebot9309 I have to disagree, in this video yes but in terms of strong man competition most athletes excel at certain events, like the atlas stone or keg toss for Brian or any form of deadlift for Thor. Thus I think it's not fair to only compare the two on things that one Excel at

[@Hesher93]

@@drewcasper4608 stone for max Brian wins, but at the stone run, Thor was ahead.

[@StrengthUniverse]

Please see the spreadsheet towards the end of the video that shows all they're results for the Atlas stones. Result Hafthor 5, Brain 4

[@adamwoolston253]

So Brian dominated the Deadlift for most of their careers, but Hafthor has a PB better than Brian. Winner: Hafthor. Ok, so you’re going off of PBs, not all-time. That’s fine and a fair way to judge it. Brian has a better Timber Carry PB but they tied in head to head, so… it’s a draw??? I thought we were going off of PBs lol. Look, all-time head-to-head is fair, and PB only is fair. Picking and choosing with each event is not

[@Nirsterkur]

Hafthor has Deadlifted 470kg or more 6 times: 470, 472, 473, 474, 480 and 501. And Brian? NONE. Not a single time. How about 1,000 lbs (453.5kg)? Yes Brian has done 7 times (same as Eddie!) but Hafthor has done 13 times.

[@Nirsterkur]

What a preposterous arguement dude. To compare STRENGTH between two people, you compare their best lifts. Prime versus Prime. Peak versus Peak. If you are to determine between KAZ and BRIAN or MARIUSZ and Hafthor, can you tell me how you do it?

[@Nirsterkur]

You are also talking about events. Prime Hafthor beats Prime Brian in: Deadlift, Squat, Bench, Log or Axel, Atlast stones, Husafel Stone, Conan wheel, Any truck or plane pull, Any loading medley or drag race, Fingles fingers, Hercules or front hold, Power stairs and 8 Keg Toss. They have both done 300lbs circus DB. Prime Brian beats Prime Hafthor in... well he wins the Keg Toss for Max! Not to forget the Atlas stone for max (560lbs!) What about Hafthor? He just moved a Viking log which was 650, but that was in kilograms. 🙂

[@adamwoolston253]

@@Nirsterkur ok, so if you compare the best lifts, Brian wins the timber carry. You’re kinda slow, aren’t you?

[@adamwoolston253]

@@Nirsterkur so we gonna count non-competition lifts from Hafthor peaking specifically for the deadlift WR and neglecting every other aspect of his training and act like that’s at all a fair comparison? All I said in my comment is you EITHER use head to head or beat all time. You don’t take best ever on one and head to head on another like this guy did. Fine, go ahead and use his deadlift WR against Brian’s best. That’s totally fine. Brian never lifted that. So when Brian does a timber carry that Hafthor never touched, he wins that one too. What a dumb argument

[@giuseppelucido5780]

THANKS GOR THIS VIDEO

[@Michael_eagle99]

both axle presses looked good, but brian's did look more stable, thor took a couple steps pressing, but both solid presses

[@StrengthUniverse]

I agree, really could have been a draw

[@johnpartipelo8376]

You’re telling me Hathor gets the win in the axel press for doing 1kg more but it’s a tie in the timber carry even though Brian won by almost two seconds? Clear bias in this video lost all credibility from me and hopefully others

[@StrengthUniverse]

John, It's impossible to base the result of the Timber Carry off a single year because the weight of the implement changes (400 to 500kg) as do the rules about straps. Brians best ever time is 10.03s with a 400kg (882lbs) Frame. Hafthors best time was 10.15s but this was with a 500kg frame. They're result in this event over 6 years of competition is 3 wins each it it's far less "bias" to baser the result off of 6 years of results then a single competition

[@caseyporter499]

Tbh is Eddie hall didn’t have a brain bleed, a dislocated finger and had been fully hydrated at least once he would win about ten titles.